Huge

Peugeot plans to pursue its smallest number, which celebrated 40 years ago premiere. As a short four-door in Europe should designed by Pininfarina Peugeot anchor 104, the Frenchman with a transverse front engine set in a modern mini segment and sassy an elegant, family-friendly alternative urban runabouts like Renault <5 or Fiat be 127.

div id = “text block” rel = “0″ is not enough it>. The Peugeot 104 was an important protagonist of the rise of the Group to new heights through targeted cooperation and combating crises by badge engineering and platform strategies. Thus, the smallest Peugeot share many technical components of the Renault 14 – a result of the 1966 founded the Association Peugeot and Renault – and he formed the platform for a group-wide small car family, which along with the Model 104 or the 1976 launched Citroen LN and the 1981 Talbot Samba were presented. Mental time siblings who had too little autonomy to heranzureichen to the success of the lion father. But the Peugeot 104 was therefore a long-time bestseller, which sold in 16 years over 1.6 million units.

Birth weight

As a great stroke of luck, the Peugeot 104 was found, but only after overcoming a painful birth pangs. This included even the first collaboration with Renault, which provided initially to let Peugeot and Renault vehicles roll off the assembly line at a joint factory. One approach, for which the time was not ripe. It remained in the development of engines (two four-cylinder for compact and mid-range and a six cylinder for the upper class) and other technical components for different series. So should Peugeot 104 and Renault title=”Aktie: Renault 14, the front axle, transmission ., brakes and exhaust share

The contract for the design development of the new small car class gave Peugeot the Hausstilisten Pininfarina, who adhered strictly to the specifications: After the model had 104, a travel Ruggedized Mini will be able to be captured with the new customer, a inexpensive second car or a big city just looking at a four-door chic Couture Parisienne. A shrunken to 3.58 meters 204 So, with generous amounts of space front and rear, but instead of conservative chic Hatchback trunk compartment.

blunder by star designer:

Sometimes, however, apparently also Pininfarina has a less good day. The design of PF 944, which finally the Peugeot 104 showed, could be developed on such a day. Although the angular body was timeless classic, but also uninspired and almost unemotional. An alternative to the fun-loving and cheeky Renault 5, but also to Italians as the Fiat 127 The major birth defects of the Peugeot 104 was missing but the tailgate, body characteristics, would give up in the 1970s, hardly a small car buyers. Nevertheless, the French left four years, until it became the four-door five-door.

However, added in 1974, the 3.36 meter short 104 C with a large tailgate, the program for the smallest Peugeot. “C” while actually standing for “Compact”, was formed of the two-door coupe, however, as a chic mini-metropolis of boulevards. Matching Peugeot offered soon also features fine details for the interior and stylish metallic colors for the exterior. Colors and varieties that have helped to establish the mini-French not only as a fashionable mini, but also as an elegant ladies’ darling. Bright shades like coral red, citrus yellow or südfruchtorange hit the zeitgeist, who loved pop-bunt.

Modern engines ensure recognition

Really excited the press and public from the beginning also expressed about the newly developed light-alloy engine. Exceptional was the installation method of compact engines that were installed at 72 degrees inclined to the rear. Even the base 1.0-liter engine with 33 kW/45 hp allowed in the 780 kilogram four-door performance that made the 104 as fast as the at least one class larger Peugeot 204, Renault 12 or VW 1600.

were still brisk two-door Peugeot 104 traveling later with up to 1.3-liter 53 kW/72 hp and big petrol engines, and sprinted in only 12.7 seconds from zero to 100 and thus were even more nimble than most major league sports coupes of this service. For all the agility of the small four-cylinder engine was surprisingly durable and economical. Normal values ​​from 5.5 to 6.0 liters at a speed of 90 were considered to be exemplary and were particularly during the period of the first oil crisis of 1973/74 is a key competitive advantage.

pickup and roadster idea

While other body styles like saloon (1975), Combination (1975), Pick-Up (1976), the exciting Roadster Peugette (1976) and a security vehicle 104 VLS (Vehicule Léger de Sécurité) were only trials, always provided new special models and regular facelifts for continuing good sales of the Peugeot 104 after the somewhat bumpy start.

Every second buyer of the 104 came from a different brand, so that the small car had fulfilled its mission as a “conquest vehicle” for Peugeot. Not quite so successful that the group succeeded in siblings of children. 1974 Peugeot took over the ailing rivals Citroen.

The “Sparrow of Paris” does not start with

Since Citroen had in the following years, no financial leeway for new City Mobile, should the conquest of the city boulevards begin 1976 with a twin of the Peugeot 104 C. The two-cylinder engine, the legendary “Duck” in the three-door hatchback body-Peugeot-Citroen wee should thus created the LN to the modern minis are, above all, the 2 CV offer customers a new alternative. The “Sparrow of Paris,” as he was advertised mainly in Germany, was able to prevail, however, as a LNA with a powerful four-cylinder (1978), or with elegant special models such as LNA and LNA Prisu Cannelle (1984) never right. Too lacked the typical Citroen independence, which had an adverse effect especially on the export markets.

Only short-term success of the Talbot Samba was granted, which is part of the rescue program for the heritage of Chrysler Europe was. Peugeot took over Chrysler’s European subsidiaries in 1978 and renamed the British Rootes and Simca-Talbot brands. In 1981, the Samba started out as small twin of the three-door Peugeot 104, a little later by an independent cabriolet, which was produced at Pininfarina. And with the 65 kW/89 hp rally gave the samba and the derivation of the most powerful platform

Still. The latest with the launch of Peugeot 205 (1983) and the new version of the Renault 5 (1984) wanted to former Simca customers no longer dancing samba with the now 12 years old small car. Final date for the Talbot Samba, and was until 1986.